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He shouldn’t have walked away just now. He shouldn’t have let her dictate the terms that way. Yet, he would look foolish if he stumbled back into the dungeon, offering too little, too late. It might cause even more damage, making things that much harder to repair.
He needed some time to catch his breath and figure out his next move.
As they exited the dungeon and moved toward the wide staircase, Jack halted abruptly, causing Thomas to turn back, one foot poised on the stairs. “What is it?”
Jack shook his head. “I’m sorry, Thomas. I’m not really up for another scene just now. I should have said so back in the dungeon.”
Thomas shrugged and waved a dismissive hand. “No worries, mate. I naturally thought of you since you’re from my old stomping ground. I’ll find someone else. Not a big deal.”
Then Thomas tilted his head as he regarded Jack, his brows furrowing. “Hey. Is everything all right?”
Jack managed a smile. “Oh, sure. Yeah. I just need a bit of downtime. I think I’ll go to the auction room and have a drink. Perhaps make it an early night.”
Thomas grinned. “Not me. The night is young and I have two gorgeous ‘patients’”—he made air quotes with his fingers—“eagerly awaiting their ‘exams.’” He turned to head back into the dungeon. Before reentering, he asked, “How long are you here for? In the States, I mean.”
“I’ll be here another week or so.”
“Great. Then maybe we’ll get a chance to scene together.”
“Could be,” Jack agreed vaguely.
Though he’d told Cleo he’d come to New York on business, that had only been a precaution, since he didn’t yet know where he stood with her. With his parents out of the country on a European river cruise, the only thing that had brought him to New York was Cleo.
He had to find out what, if anything, still remained between them. Their scene just now had shown him in no uncertain terms that their D/s connection remained strong. But, given the way she had shut down so quickly afterward, it appeared he had his work cut out for him.
“I’m glad you’ve been able to move on, Jack,” Thomas added, placing his hand lightly on Jack’s shoulder. “I know Annette would have wanted you to get back into the game.”
“Thanks,” Jack replied, mentally switching gears. “It’s been nearly two years. The first six months were the hardest, but I’m doing much better. And, yeah, I think she would want me to embrace life again.”
“Well, good for you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m on a mission.” Thomas flashed a grin and disappeared back into the dungeon.
Jack took the stairs down to the first floor, thoughts of Cleo crowding his brain. As he entered the auction room, he saw that Hayden, his best friend in New York, was seated in a wingback chair near the fireplace, his thumbs moving rapidly over the screen of his cell phone.
He looked up as Jack entered the room, his face breaking into a wide smile. “Hey, you,” he cried, getting to his feet. He had picked Jack up at the airport the day before, and they’d had a long heart-to-heart over dinner about what was going on in their lives. Jack had admitted point-blank that he’d come expressly to find out if the spark with Cleo still remained, despite the fact she was now owned by Dominique and Grayson, the married couple who ran the New York Masters Club.
Hayden pulled him into a bear hug, heartily slapping his back. “Great to see you back at the club, old friend.” He wrinkled his brow in question. “But what’re you doing in here when Cleo is in there?” Hayden gestured toward the dungeon.
Before Jack could answer, Hayden’s cell, still cradled in his hand, dinged. He scowled. “Damn it. I’m not the on-call doctor tonight, but they keep texting me as if I were.” He looked down at the screen again. “I just have to answer this. Get a drink, why don’t you, and then you can tell me what’s going on.”
Jack went over to the well-stocked bar at the back of the room and poured himself some single-malt scotch over ice. He returned and settled in the chair across from his old friend. He sipped the scotch as Hayden continued texting. After a few minutes, Hayden slipped the phone into his pocket and lifted his head.
“Okay. Crisis averted, the proper attending notified. What’s happening? Why are you in here instead of at a scene station, claiming Cleo?”
Jack told Hayden about the powerful scene, Thomas’s untimely interruption and Cleo’s basic dismissal of him. Hayden listened sympathetically. “Maybe she just needs a little time. She’s not used to the idea of you as a single guy.”
Jack blew out a breath. “Maybe. The thing is,” he said slowly, “when I came back to the London Masters Club, I was a bit of an ass. Not on purpose. I guess I was still dealing with Annette’s death.”
